GE Commercial Aviation Services and Boeing announced an order yesterday for 30 firm and 30 option 737NGs, a deal worth approximately $4 billion at list prices.GECAS will take delivery of the 30 firm aircraft from 2008 through 2010. It has ordered 68 737s in the past two years--the lessor and its customer carriers will take delivery of 30 this year--and has more than 200 NGs out on lease to more than 30 airlines around the world. "It is a very popular aircraft model and we quickly leased all of the planes we ordered last year, so we needed more to satisfy our customers' demand," President and CEO Henry Hubschman said.

Included in the order is the 737-900ER. GECAS is the first leasing company to order that model, which seats up to 215 in a single-class configuration and is 9 ft. longer than the dash 800. It will take its first dash 900ER in the first half of 2007.